Improved lock for fire-arms



N B. COOK.

, Lok for Fire-arm. No. 7,596 Patented Aug. 27 1850.

nl Ll l NPETERS, PNOT0-LIYHOGRAPHE, WASHINGTON D C ATENT Fries.

NATHAN B. COOK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED LOCK FOR FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 7,596, dated August 27,1850.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN B. 000K, of the city ot' Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement onaLock forFire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description ot' the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l represents alongitudinal section of a revolving pistol; Fig. 2, the breech end ofthe barrel; Fig. 3, the front of the breech; Fig. 4, a section of thelock, showing the hammer at cock; Fig. 5, a section of the lock, showingthe hammer at cock and held in its position by the sear when it is to beoperated as a hairtrigger; Fig. 6, a section of the lock in perspective,showing the ratchet-lever and slid` ing bolt which retains the barrel inits position; Fig. 7, a perspective view of the trigger and part of thespring-lever ot' the sear; Fig. 8, an under side view ofthe sear; Fig.9, a perspectiveview of the hammer and the bar and swivel by which themainspring is connected with the hammer.

a, Fig. l, represents the stock; b, the trigger-plate; c, the spindleupon which the barrel revolves; d d, the barrels; c, the hammer; f, themainspring; g, the swivel; 71 the bar upon which the trigger acts toforce the hammer back; z', the trigger; j, thesear; k, the ratchetlever;Z, the top cap and sight; m, the sliding bolt which holds the barrel inits position, the whole, excepting the stock, being constructed of steelor other suitable metal.

Theoperation of thelock is as follows: When at rest, as shown in Fig. l,with the hammer pressing against the cap on the nipple of the upperbarrel d, the triggerz' havin gits upper end against the notch inthe under side of the bar h, the cam i' on the end ot' the spring-leverof the sear resting on the pin near the top of the trigger, the end ofthe bolt m pressed in the hole a in the breech of the barrel, Fig. 2, bythe spring b', N o. l, the end of the ratchet-lever a little above thenotch c on the breech end of the barrel, Fig. 2, therefore if thetrigger be pressed with the finger in the direction of the stock a,working on the pivot s, the upper end of the trigger presses against thenotch in the under side ot' the bar h and forces it forward, whichcauses the hammer c to revolve on the axis a until it comes in theposition shown at Fig. 4; also, atthe moment when the hammer begins tomove the pin y (shown in Figs. l and 9) intercepts the notchin thespring on the sliding bolt at x, No. 1, and draws it back, therebyreleasing the barrel, Which is immediately made to revolve by theratchet-lever 7c, which is pressed downward by the pin t in Athe hammerworking inthe slot u. The barrel, being revolved until the next nippleis brought in the proper position, is again held by the bolt on. The camz" passes over the pin in the upper part of the trigger, and drops intothe position shown in Figs. 4and 7. The sear, being pressed upward bythe spring d', passes into the notch e in the lower part of the hammer.This movement also raises the bar h and the swivel g, bringing the jointq above a right line from thejointsp and r, cansing a pressure ofthe barh upon the top ofthe trigger. Then ift-he pressureof the fingerberemoved from the trigger, the searj holds the hammer in the positionshown Figs. 4and 5,while the pressure of the bar h upon the top of thetrigger Will bringit in the position shown in Fig. and bythedottedlinesinFig.4. Atthesame time the trigger, in passing back to theposition shown in Fig. 5, brings the pin on its side in Contact withaninclined plane on the inside ot the cam i, (shown at a, Fig. 8,) andbending the spring outward passes by it, and the cam comes into theposition shown in Fig. 5 and by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, resting onthe pin on the side ot' the trigger. Now if the 1in ger be pressedslightly upon the trigger, the pin on the side of the trigger raises thelever of the sear and disengages the sear from the notch in the lowerpart ot' the hammer, which, being at liberty to be acted upon by themainspring, is brought down upon the nipple and the piece is discharged.When it is desirable to re with more rapidity, the hammer is brought, asbefore, into the position shown at Fig. 4, when, instead of removing thefinger from the trigger, the pressure is continued in the direction ofthe stock a, when the curved shoulder f on the side of the trigger, Fig.7, comes in contact with the cam i', and forces the lever of the searupward, removing the notch in the under side of the bar h,'and thehammer, being acted upon by the mainspring, is brought down upon thenipple and the piece is discharged.

The nature of my invention'consists in the' fact that I so construct andarrange the machinery ofthe look of a revolving or other rcarin that bypressing upon the trigger with the finger the hammer is brought back tocock, and the iin ger may then be removed and the trigger allowed topass forward, while the hammer is retained in its position by the scar,and may then be discharged by a light touch ot the finger upon thetrigger, enabling the operator to're with all the ease and steadinesssecured by the use of the hair-trigger, or admitting of being tired,when expedition is desired, by one continuous pull or pressure of. thefinger upon the trigger.

Vhat Iclainl as new, and desire'tosecure by Letters Patent, is l Thesearj, in combination with the pin and shoulder on the trigger, by whicharrangement the hammer, after being brought back by the pressure of thefinger upon the trigger, is held in its position by the scar, while thetrigger passes forward, and the piece is discharged by a light touch ofthe finger upon the trigger, securing deliberation and certainty of aim,or may be discharged by one continuous pressure of the tin ger upon thetrigger, at the pleasure of the person using the same; and in this claimI wish to be understood that I do not ooniiue myself to the precisearrangement of the parts herein described, but shall vary the same atpleasure while I attain the saine ends by means substantially the same.

NATHAN B. COOK. Witnesses:

W. F. DoMINIcK, W. D. RYAN.

